Monday, May 09, 2016

What's (Re)New?: Boris's Pink

It was with Boris's essential 2006 release, Pink, that I'd first become aware of the group's versatile brand of rock, drone and metal excellence. Hard to believe that that was ten years ago. In recognition of the album's 10th anniversary, Sargent House is releasing deluxe editions of Pink in both triple-LP and double-CD formats. Along with the original release, a volume of unreleased tracks dubbed Forbidden Songs will be included. A selection from the Forbidden portion of the reissue was posted at Pitchfork called, "Are You Ready?". You can give it a listen and then read about the reissue below. All info was provide by Us/Them Group.

In addition to the reissue, Boris will be performing Pink live for U.S. audiences. Tour dates are posted below. And they're touring with Earth!

Japanese trio Boris announce the 10th anniversary deluxe reissue of Pink today and premiere one of 9 previously unreleased tracks from the new edition via Pitchfork. See track list below. Hear and share "Are You Ready?" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.)Boris will launch a full U.S. headlining tour in July in which they will perform Pink in its entirety. The band's new Sargent House labelmates Earth will play all dates except two in Canada. Please see complete dates below.
Pink, the landmark 2006 album by Boris, which earned widespread critical praise — including Pitchfork's Top 10 Albums of 2006 — will be reissued in a deluxe edition this summer to commemorate the album's 10th anniversary. The deluxe 3xLP box set and 2xCD features an entire album of previously unreleased tracks recorded during the Pink album sessions in 2004-2005. The bonus Forbidden Songs collects 9 tracks of the same hyperactive, accessible and aggressive caliber of the original album, available here for the first time, mixed (with additional editing and arrangement) in 2015 and mastered in January 2016. Like the original U.S. vinyl release, the Pink (Deluxe Edition) LP set has three longer edits of songs that were truncated on the original CD issue ("Farewell", "Pseudo-Bread" and "My Machine"). Otherwise, both the LP and CD versions have the same audio as the 2006 release. And, Pink (Deluxe Edition) also features the artwork of the original Japanese release, made by the band members themselves.In 2006, Pink was Boris' 10th album and a major breakthrough that earned new fans outside of the underground metal community — the track "Farewell" was even featured in Jim Jarmusch's classic film The Limits of Control. The album landed on countless "best of the year" lists from underground metal sites to mainstream rock magazines. And the praise was certainly well deserved for its more accessible sound and explorations into shoegaze and ambient structures alongside brutal noise, searing psychedelia and apocalyptic doom.
Pink succeeds at what most bands cannot do: swiftly changing styles from song to song, while always sounding distinctly like themselves. The seamless, explosive set of fan favorites from the classic longtime lineup of drummer/vocalist Atsuo, guitarist/vocalist Wata and bassist/guitarist/vocalist Takeshi still sounds as mindblowing as it did a decade ago. And, Forbidden Songs continues with the same unbridled creativity and ferocity. These songs aren't outliers, they're rather more like the director's cut version of the original album. Boris is now in their 24th year as a band — 20 years in the classic trio lineup — and showing no signs of slowing down. They have always demolished expectations of what a band can do musically and aesthetically. And in looking back with Pink (Deluxe Edition), the band's trajectory as experimenters and innovators over subsequent releases becomes even clearer.
Pink (Deluxe Edition) will be available everywhere (excluding Japan) on July 8th on 3xLP box set, 2xCD and download via Sargent House. BORIS / EARTH / SHITSTORM TOUR 2016: 07/22 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah 07/23 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom 07/25 Dallas, TX @ Trees 07/26 Austin, TX @ The Mohawk 07/28 Ybor City, FL @ The Orpheum 07/29 Orlando, FL @ The Social 07/30 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade 07/31 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel 08/01 Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records 08/03 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle 08/04 Washington, DC @ 930 Club 08/05 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw 08/06 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer 08/07 New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall 08/09 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club 08/10 Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz P.D.B. (no Earth) 08/11 Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace (no Earth) 08/12 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop 08/13 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme 08/14 Chicago, IL @ Metro 08/16 Madison, WI @ Majestic Theater 08/17 Minneapolis, MN @ Fineline Music Cafe 08/18 Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre 08/19 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater 08/20 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge 08/22 Seattle, WA @ Neumo's 08/23 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom 08/25 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore 08/26 Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater 08/27 Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Hotel - Psycho Las Vegas